Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar made a bold claim regarding India’s Virat Kohli, stating that the star batter is ‘dying’ to play in Pakistan amid the ongoing deadlock surrounding the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, slated to be held in the February-March window next year.
Akhtar, during his appearance at a local news channel, claimed that besides Kohli, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also wants its national team to cross the border for the eight-team tournament but the Indian government is not letting them travel.
“India is dying more than Pakistan to play in Pakistan," Akhtar said. “Virat Kohli is probably dying to play in Pakistan. Landing India vs Pakistan match will take their TV rights off the roof. The reason sponsorship isn’t coming is because India are not coming (to Pakistan), their government isn’t letting them travel (to Pakistan)."
The former pacer also predicted that the Indian team will travel to Pakistan in the next couple of years for a full-fledged series.
“BCCI, Jay Shah want it (to send Indian team to Pakistan). But the current situation is not ideal. Backdoor diplomacy continues but our relationship isn’t there yet. Once it’s there, they will come. I will predict that within a year or two, India will play a full series in Pakistan," he said.
Akhtar’s remarks came when the upcoming Champions Trophy is at a standstill following BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan, while PCB remained firm on its stance of opposing the hybrid model for the eight-team tournament.
However, in the latest turn of events, a new model, dubbed as ‘partnership formula’, is under consideration to end the deadlock between PCB and BCCI.
As per the new formula, Pakistan will also not play their matches in India during ICC events for next three years. Dubai is most likely to be the neutral venue for both the teams as per the expected new agreement.
India is scheduled to host three ICC events during this time period, including Women's World Cup 2025, co-hosting of T20 World Cup 2026 with Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy 2027.
Details further shared that the apex cricketing body has advised the BCCI to accept the aforementioned model, in a bid to avoid legal action by Pakistan and also to resolve the issue without voting.
If the proposed formula gets mutually agreed upon then there may not be a need for the board meeting and the apex cricketing body will communicate the development with the board members.
- Virat Kohli
